


Let the ocean play/And sleeping fishes lie

by Ravensmores



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Childhood Friends, Don't copy to another site, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Mermaids, Merman Katsuki Yuuri, One Shot, Prince Victor Nikiforov, originally a zine app
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 15:24:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20230078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravensmores/pseuds/Ravensmores
Summary: Yuuri doesn’t meant to get caught. He really doesn’t.Ever since he was old enough to swim unaided, one golden rule had been drilled into him like a mantra whenever he left his cave.Don’t go to the surface.And ever since it he was competent enough to slip past the guards at the edge of the reef, he’d chosen to ignore that rule.





	Let the ocean play/And sleeping fishes lie

**Author's Note:**

> Originally wrote this for a zine application but I didn't get in soooo... here it is.
> 
> Thanks to [cupromantic](https://cupromantic.tumblr.com) for the inspo!

Yuuri doesn’t meant to get caught. He really doesn’t.

Ever since he was old enough to swim unaided, one golden rule had been drilled into him like a mantra whenever he left his cave.

_ Don’t go to the surface. _

And ever since he was competent enough to slip past the guards at the edge of the reef, he’d chosen to ignore that rule. 

It’s not like he wanted to deliberately disobey his parents and teachers or put himself in any danger, but every warning about the world above had always sounded so vague. 

_ It’s just dangerous Yuuri. _

_ Humanity will fear you. And they hurt whatever they don’t understand. _

_ You’ll understand when you’re older. _

So naturally he went to find out himself.

The feel of the wind on his face was strange to start with, the breaking water around him an alien caress against his shoulders and yet something he quickly couldn’t quite get enough of. Soon he found himself jumping as high as he could into the air so he can feel it against his whole body, laughing at the sensation of the water smacking against his side as he reentered with a loud splash.

That day, floating on his back and watching the strange white shapes shift through the blue of the sky, _ the real sky _ , he’d quickly come to the conclusion that he definitely wasn’t done. No matter what any stupid rules said, he _ had _to find out more.

Which lead him to here. His favourite spot.

He’d first spotted the small cove while cautiously scouting the area a few weeks ago and come back almost every day since. Something about the feeling of undiluted sun against his face and the coarse touch of dry, day-warmed sand against his scales creating a kind of happiness he isn’t sure he’s ever really felt before.

And he isn’t going to give it up.

The sun was high today, the rocks surrounding his spot helping shade him and the several crabs that had emerged from the surrounding pools, all scuttling around Yuuri with curious, controlled movements. 

He decides not to eat any of them, far too enthralled in the way they effortlessly move from sea to sand compared to his own clumsy wriggling to try and get comfortable. 

It does make him more than a little jealous though.

No one had warned them not to come above. They get to exist in both worlds without a care. Why can’t he?

“I knew you were real.”

His head snaps up at the unfamiliar voice. 

Panic shoots through his body like a cold breeze as he quickly whips around, flailing a little as he tries to locate the source of the words. He’s sure that the beach was deserted when he arrived, the whole reason he’d chosen this spot because it was so far away from any known human settlements.

When his panicked glances reveal nothing, he starts dragging himself back to the tide with all the strength he can muster.

_ He can’t be seen. God knows what they might do to him. _

“Wait! Don’t go.”

The voice is louder this time. Yuuri briefly halts his desperate scramble to look back at where he’d been sitting, praying to whoever is listening that he’s somehow been imagining it.

He feels himself pale as a face slowly emerges from behind the rocks, two wide eyes staring him down. 

A boy, perhaps the same age him is regarding him with an open, curious expression. 

Yuuri finds himself pinned to the spot, unable to look away as the boy continues to pull himself up, bright eyes slowly sweeping up and down Yuuri’s body. 

Yuuri swallows nervously. From the cloth wrapped around his body to the height at which he stands, Yuuri’s last hope that he might be another merman is quickly dashed.

He’s seeing his very first human.

He’s much leaner than himself, every bit of his visible body slender and sharp. The delicate points of his face are partially hidden by a long mess of silver hair tumbling past his shoulders like a tangled web of starlight, his cheeks rosier than any corals Yuuri has ever seen. 

Yuuri takes a breath as he continues to look, more than a little surprised by the similarities between them. He’d only ever seen humans depicted in crude drawings or described in stories, so he’d never really expected one to look so… familiar.

_ Or for one to have eyes prettier than the ocean on it’s calmest summer days. _

With all the courage he can muster, he moves forward slightly but keeps his expression wary. “I uh- How long have you been there?”

“Ever since the sun came up.” The boy continues to smile as he speaks, rubbing his hands down his clothes to brush off the sand collected there. “They all said I was being silly. That what I saw yesterday was just a seal or the sun but I _ knew _you’d be here.” He starts to clamber over the rocks as he speaks, the first real difference between the two of them quickly coming into view.

Legs.

Yuuri briefly looks back to the sea. He’s sure can still escape, certain that he’ll make it to the shallows before this human can get to him.

Carefully flexing his tail, he turns back to the boy. From where he sits, this human doesn’t look angry or like he wants to hurt him. The brightness on his face radiates like a sun, his eyes moving across Yuuri like he’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever laid his eyes upon.

Taking a chance, he shifts away from the ocean. 

“You aren’t afraid of me?” 

“Should I be?” The boy’s smile only widens when he finally makes it over the rocks, hands shooting to his cheeks as he quickly approaches Yuuri. “Wow! Your tail is so pretty.”

Yuuri’s cheeks colour a little at the words. It’s the first time anyone had ever said that about his fins. Compared to the vibrant golds and emeralds of the rest of his family, he’s always thought the deep black of his own scales were rather dull. 

He looks up to the other boy, still eyeing his tail with wondrous eyes. Yuuri feels himself blush harder when he reaches out and places his hand against the very edge of his scales, the dry warmth of his palm radiating clearer than any tropical ocean current through his skin.

He does his best not to flick his tail away, taking the opportunity to get a better look at the boy’s legs. He’s impressed by the way they bend and shift as he moves around Yuuri’s body, the material wrapped around his lower half quickly getting covered in the damp sand around them. 

“My name is Yuuri,” he says eventually, unable to stop his small smile when he notices the smattering of silvery freckles dotted across the bridge of the other boy’s nose.

“Victor,” he replies quietly before shaking his head, his shoulders suddenly squaring. “Oh wait that’s not right. It’s _ His Royal Serene Highness, Prince Victor.” _

Yuuri almost chokes in shock at how easily such a title rolls off his tongue. “A prince?” 

“Yes, and apparently I need to start using the full title now,” Victor says proudly, reaching out to wave his hand from one side of the horizon to the other. “Once I come of age, I get to rule this _ whole _ Kingdom.” He flops back against the sand, giggling slightly. “And the first thing I’m going to do is decree that I actually _ am _allowed to have a poodle.”

Yuuri feels his entire body lock up with embarrassment. “Oh my, I have to go and get you a gift.”

Victor immediately sits back up. “Why?”

“Well that’s what you’re supposed to do when meeting royalty?” He thinks back to his parent’s visits to the castle, the mountains of treasure they had to bring with them to get an audience with the queen, the days spent trying to find the perfect set of pearls to show her the respect she deserved.

Victor looks confused for a second before he shrugs. “Okay then.” He doesn’t hesitate as he moves back towards Yuuri, that same sunny smile firmly in place. “Well I’ll be here at the same time tomorrow.”

Yuuri swallows again, throat suddenly inexplicable dry. “O-okay. Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow then your majesty.”

He rolls his eyes. “It’s just Victor silly,” he murmurs gently, something soft flickering across his expression as he looks out to the sea and then back to Yuuri. He leans in a little further. “Promise you’ll come back?”

Yuuri is surprised by the sudden gentleness to his words, his own answer leaving his mouth without him even thinking. “I promise.”

Without another word, he shuffles back into the sea, letting the tide carry him to deeper waters. 

Victor watches Yuuri the whole way, waving his arms wildly as his voice carries like the loudest melody on the wind. 

“I’ll be waiting!!! Right here!”

***

Yuuri is almost surprised when he finds him sitting cross legged in the exact same spot the next day. Victor jumps up immediately when he sees him, waving him over with the kind of enthusiasm Yuuri had only ever seen from crowds gathered to watch the royal family swim past. 

Certainly not something he expected from a _ prince. _

He scrambles as far as he can onto the shore, but Victor meets him halfway, kneeling in the drying crumbles of the sand just before the retreating tide so Yuuri can sit comfortably in the foam.

Yuuri doesn’t expect him to be so enthused with every word that comes from his mouth when he talks of his journey or his home life, nor is he prepared for the almost inhuman squeal that comes from his mouth when Yuuri pulls the small pearly comb from his satchel and hands it to him. He immediately unties his braid and starts dragging the delicate teeth through the fine silver strands until his hair rests in a soft, wavy curtain around his shoulders.

Yuuri can’t deny how mesmerising it is to watch, or how much his hands shake when Victor passes the comb to him and asks him to brush.

They meet almost daily after that.

Every morning after his lessons, Yuuri will quietly make his way to the surface and Victor will always be there waiting for him. Same time, same spot, same smile. It quickly becomes the favourite part of his routine.

Everytime Victor welcomes him with open arms, he feels more of his nerves melt away, the growing friendship between them soon easier than the ebb and flow of the tide.

Every day they talk, play, discuss the differences between their two worlds. Yuuri brings him every treasure he can find: funny shapes of coral, figurines he created himself out of tiny shells, a luminous blue pearl he spent three days searching for, each one bringing a bigger smile to the other boy’s face. 

Soon Victor returns in kind, weighing him down with bracelets and rings and necklaces all crafted from the most precious of metals and stones. He doesn’t ask where Victor got them, but makes sure to wear his favourite pieces every time he comes back to the cove, the rest hidden in his secret spot in his own cave below.

Sometimes Yuuri will bring pieces of humanity that he’s collected from shipwrecks and listen attentively as Victor explains what exactly each thing is and how it’s used. Every piece is somehow more fascinating than the last.

With everything he learns, the less he understands about why his people have to live in fear. 

Watching Victor crudely draw all the different kinds of animals they kept at his palace into the sand, he marvels at how he’s practically the polar opposite of everything he was told about humans. Victor was kind, gentle, the type of soul Yuuri isn’t sure that he'll ever find below the breaking waves.

His best friend in the whole world.

As time goes by, Victor’s schedule gets busier and busier, so often Yuuri will arrive to the beach first. Sometimes he’ll keep himself hidden below the surface, waiting patiently until he hears the sound of his name called over the sea. Only then will he jump out and into a pair of strong, waiting arms, bracing his hands against the sand as they fall in a wet, giggling tangle of limbs and scales.

He can feel himself changing too. As the months quickly morph into years, he can see his childish chubbiness slowly melt away, his young scales shedding he swims, revealing brighter ones underneath. As he rubs off the flaking pieces of his tail with a smoothed rock, he’s surprised to sea small patches of silver shining underneath, the first real sign of his maturity as a merman.

“They’re like stars,” Victor murmurs one afternoon as he traces each new scale with the gentlest touch, before dragging his finger up to gently brush the side of Yuuri’s face. “They’re beautiful.”

Yuuri feels the warmth blooming under Victor’s fingers travel all the way to his chest, the redness appearing there definitely not from a sunburn. “Not as beautiful as this,” he murmurs softly, brushing his fingers through the much shorter hair now adorning Victor’s head, cropped and styled like a silvery halo.

He knows what it means when the dusting of pink across Victor’s nose flushes to a deeper rose at the small caress, how his fingers press a little harder against his cheek before he pulls him into a hug just a little too long and warm to be a purely friendly gesture.

He also knows exactly what it means when spring comes the following year. The soft blues and dusky pinks of his new mating season scales shine brighter than any corals as he swims, his tail finally dazzling enough to rival the rainbowed hues of the rest of his family. He isn’t blind to the wandering eyes of other merfolk as he swims past, more than one deliberately swimming into pools of sunlight in front of him so their own scales glimmer. 

He pays them no mind as he heads out of the city, the route to his favourite place so ingrained on his brain he’s sure he can make it there blindfolded.

Even if he was looking to court, there’s only one pair of eyes he interested in right now. The same pair that have been brightening his dreams ever since he’d first seen them pop over an old worn rock those years ago.

“These colours look good on you,” Victor murmurs as he lightly drags that same pearly comb through the drying tangles of Yuuri’s hair with one hand, the other lightly stroking the blue scales just below his hip. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your tail so bright.”

Yuuri chuckles as he reclines a little more against Victor’s chest, content as the other man starts to section the long swath of his hair so he can plait it. “I guess I’m finally growing up.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

Yuuri turns his head slightly and the words, brow furrowed at the sourness to Victor’s tone. “Why?”

The comb pauses halfway through his hair, Victor’s grip suddenly a little tighter against his skin. “I’m not ready for things to change just yet.”

Yuuri takes in the words slowly before carefully placing his own hand over the one resting against his hip. “Change can be good,” he says quietly, glancing down to his tail to watch the way the new colours glisten in the sunlight. “Sometimes change is important.”

Victor continues brushing in silence for a few long seconds, his breathing quickening a little against Yuuri’s neck.

“I’m not ready to be King.”

The words are as quiet as the brush of the tide, but register with the weight of the rocks around them.

Yuuri can almost taste the fear in his tone, something he almost never heard from Victor. “Why?”

“Ever since I was small, all everyone ever told me is that one day people would look to me to lead them.” His words are a little cold, the worry peppered throughout clear. “I thought one day I’d figure out how but…”

“Victor.” Yuuri squeezes his hand a little harder before he can finish. “I don’t know much about this world, but I know you.” He exhales slowly, linking their fingers together properly as he enunciates each word carefully. “You’re kind and generous and fair and I- I know you’re going to be so loved when you’re king.” 

Yuuri stops himself before he gets too carried away. Truthfully there are so many things he wants to say, secrets and confessions he’s had brewing in his chest for years at this point but he keeps them caged. Lets them sit for a little while longer.

_ It’s not time for that. Not quite yet. _

Victor is silent for a little longer before Yuuri suddenly feels the warmth of his chuckle caressing his skin.

“I wish you could come back to the castle with me,” he says quietly as he twists the end of Yuuri’s braid, his fingers lingering a little against the slope of his shoulder. “You always seem to have the right thing to say, even when I’m so caught up in my own mind.” 

Yuuri can feel there’s more he wants to say on the matter, some unspoken hurt laced into his tone, but he doesn’t press. 

He knows what it is anyway.

They live in two worlds. Even the most powerful magic in the ocean can’t bring them together completely, and Yuuri knows he can’t have everything.

Giving up his friends, his family, his life as a merman is something he knows will hurt more than just him.

_ Giving up Victor though… _

His chest seizes at the thought.

He tries to push the hurt away, ignore the fear that one day he’ll have to make the choice and that all the love in his heart is nothing compared to the weight of responsibility tied around both of their necks. 

He focuses on the feeling of Victor carefully tying off his braid.

Right now it’s just him and Victor. Until that day comes, that’s all that matters.

Calming himself a little, he leans back against Victor’s chest, closing his eyes as he feels both of the other man’s arms securely wrap around his middle.

“I’d like that too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say I'd write more but... it's me so who knows :P 
> 
> Come say hi to me on [Tumblr](https://ravensmores.tumblr.com/) \- @ravensmores  
Or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RavensmoresFics) \- @ravensmoresfics


End file.
